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[ Tex typically uses text when she communicates on the TAB system. But it seems best to avoid seeming too impersonal for this message. There's a short silence before she begins. She's never good at this kind of thing. ]

Hey. It's Tex. I didn't want to alarm you or anything if we run into one another. I'm in a human body here—something the Ingress did when I arrived. I saw you on the network when you got here and I wanted to give you a little space before contacting you.

[ She pauses before continuing. ]

Look. I don't...want to upset you, or make you mad. I just know that people, when they come here, sometimes have different memories from the people they know from home, or come from a separate point in time. So...if you want to respond to this message, could you let me know when you're from at home? And if not, no hard feelings.

[ Tex weighs what else she might say and elects not to continue. There's another long pause before the message ends. ]

[ It takes time to process the message, to figure out the best way to respond. The last time she saw Tex, she wasn't even the same person she remembered from Freelancer. She was a glitched out copy that the Director kept trying to resurrect. ]

...I'm not angry with you, Tex. I know the truth and I know how he lied, what he did to all of us just to-

[ The anger that burned in her for so long has gone out, much as she wants to stay angry at the director she's done hating a man who's dead. For someone who couldn't let go. It still doesn't keep her from feeling bitter over how easily she was played for a fool. She takes a deep breath, a bit awkward as she tries to figure out how to deal with someone she never knew how to handle. ]

I don't know how much you know about what happened. I survived the fall. It's been a few years since then.

[ She had half not expected any response at all, so receiving an answer that calm, and with that kind of news, floors Tex for a few moments. ]

You know...I did believe that if anyone could survive that, it was you. But there was no sign of you for ages after that. I eventually had to accept you were gone. I guess I made a mistake in that.

[ Carolina knows the truth, she says. Tex had always felt a certain camaraderie toward Carolina, had a sense they were on the same playing field, and when she learned the truth from Connie's evidence, she had come to the distinct knowledge that she and Carolina should have been more. Better friends, better allies. She isn't Carolina's mother, can't claim that position in her life, but being a friend to her would be nice. ]

I would be interested to know what happened. You know what happened to me, I assume.

I didn't want anyone knowing I was alive until I was ready. [ A pause and then her voice is quieter. ] It was a mistake. Wash told me about what I missed while I was gone. I'm sorry.

[ She falls silent for a minute before continuing. ]

...You should know, the Director is dead.

[ There's a silence while Tex processes that and lets the relief flood her. She'd always felt it made no sense for her to go back there, if she was technically dead there. For all she knew, if she tried, she'd just automatically terminate upon arrival. She sometimes felt that her promise to return to Daniel's world with him was a mistake though, a selfish mistake. But with that, now she knows it's all over. ]

Yes. I'm glad you told me.

[ Despite herself, she breathes out a sigh of relief. ]

I've made a life for myself, here, Carolina. I'm glad to know you took care of that, because I wasn't sure...

I mean, I was concerned about what would happen if I carried through with my plans. Because, you know, I'm not going back there.

[ It's the morning after Wash's first night with him and York is just not okay. He'd trained with Carolina yesterday, though, made plans for another breakfast and it's her turn, which means they're going out. He heads up to her apartment to meet her, knocking softly on the door. She'll hear it. She's expecting him.

He looks wrung out and exhausted when she answers, like he didn't sleep a wink the night before, but he smiles for her anyway. He'll always smile for her. ]

Morning.

[ Having breakfast with York is one of those things that she never expected to happen but now that it's a tradition in the making she's looking forward to it. She even has a place picked out.

Except when she answers the door and sees York looking wrung out those plans screech to a halt. ]

Hey. Is... everything alright?

[ York wants to shrug it off, say yeah he's fine everything's great let's go have breakfast, and just spend some time with her being themselves. Without being haunted by home. She looks beautiful, like she's dressing to go out rather than just to be dressed, her hair down and waving softly around her face. York wants to reach out and take her hand and just. Go. But he can't bring himself to lie to her. ]

Wash is crashing with me, and he had a rough night.

[ Right, his nightmares. They were less of thing by the time Carolina found him, mostly because he'd gotten into the habit of avoiding sleep. And she'd been so caught in her own shit that she hadn't paid him much mind. She hadn't even thought that with him coming from such a bad moment that they might be an issue. Without thinking Carolina reaches out to take his hand and tugs him into her apartment. ]

New plan, you're going to sit down and I'm getting food delivered.

I'm fine, Lina, we can go out. It's not the sleep.

[ But he doesn't protest being tugged forward into her apartment. It's not the first time he's been inside but he's struck again by how spartan it is.

He squeezes her hand and glances around, asking silently where to sit. ]

[ She hasn't done much to change the default decorations, her only real touch being that the desk in the corner is covered with pieces of armor and her guns. She gestures to the couch and nudges him toward it. ]

I know, but this way if you need to ask me any questions about Wash I can answer them without anyone listening in.

[ She absently pulls up the network address of the place she'd been planning to take him, relieved to see that they do actually deliver. ]

How do you feel about crepes, by the way? I found a place that insists they make them exactly like you'd find on earth.

....okay.

[ He takes a seat, sinking back into the couch cushions and smiling up at her at the mention of crepes. She really thought about this, found somewhere they could try together... that helps his mood a lot. ]

Crepes sound amazing. We can pretend we know how they're supposed to be.

[ Once she's ordered York is reaching out, trying to get her to join him on the couch. ]

I won't tell the delivery drone we've never had a crepe if you won't.

[ She buys a sweet crepe and a savory one, figuring they can share and see which one they like best since this is going to be a bit of an adventure for both of them. Plus it's not like leftovers will go to waste, especially when she spends so much of her time training for no reason except to fill the time. She joins him without much resistance, her leg brushing against his as she settles into the cushions. ]

I'm sorry, I didn't even think what kind of state he might be in. I... he was doing better when I found him. Not perfect but he was functional and on his way to healing.

[ There probably won't be leftovers, York's always hungrier when he doesn't sleep well. He shifts as she settles beside him, so their legs are pressing together gently. He's so contact starved, even after spending the night holding Wash's hand. There's a comfort to being close to Carolina like this, just an easy contact they don't have to think much about. ]

He needed us. I should have gone back for him.

[ Nevermind that he would have been killed for his trouble, Wash needed his friends and he'd been left alone and mistreated with Alpha's memories of torture crammed into his head and York's just not okay with any of it. ]

You would have gotten killed trying. Or worse, captured.

[ It was why she had never tried to resurface, not until Freelancer was in total shambles. Any sooner and they still would have had the resources to give her trouble. And even on his last legs, the Director and his little army of Tex had nearly beaten her. She tentatively reaches over and puts her hand on his arm, squeezing gently. ]

They would have taken Delta away and trust me, York, having your AI ripped out of your head by force... it isn't good.

[ Eta and Iota hadn't been with her long but Carolina had gotten used to their soft voices the back of her mind. The silence those first few months had been nearly unbearable. ]

[ The little squeeze helps, York reaches over and puts his hand over hers, keeping it there, stroking his thumb over the backs of her fingers. He's so tired. ]

I know that, and it's why I didn't try. But I wanted to, and he needed us and... having a good reason doesn't make me feel any better when he's obviously in so much pain right in front of me.

At least you thought about it, I didn't think about anyone but myself.

[ She leaves her hand there, taking that little bit of comfort he's offering. Absently she toes her shoes off since they're going to have a stay-in brunch. ]

I wish you could meet the version of him from back on Chorus. He's... [ She smiles slightly, thinking of how good he is with the reds and blues. How leading blue team ended up helping him more than anything else. Better than he ever was in Freelancer because no one picks on him for being the rookie who kept screwing up. ] ...I guess the best word is dependable.

I wasn't kidding when I called him my best friend. [ And now he doesn't want anything to do with her. It hurts more than a little. ]

I wish I could, too. [ But he can't, and probably never will so this is what they have to deal with. A broken friend, who he doesn't know how to put back together. ] I don't know how to help him here. I got him back to sleep, at least, kept him company, but...

He seems determined not to trust us. Not to get close again. I really hope he doesn't stick to his guns when he doesn't have to be alone here.

[ He looks up at Carolina, squeezing her hand a little. ] I'm sorry. Epsilon and now Wash... we can talk about something else.

It's alright, I'm not going to fall apart even if I miss them.

[ It feels strange to miss Wash when he's here but this isn't the Wash she knows. The Wash who called her on her obsession and stood up for the reds and blues when she wanted to use them as canon fodder. Right now she's not sure that he wouldn't do exactly that. ]

I think if we give him time, keep proving that we're not going anywhere, he'll come around. If there's anything we're good at it's being stubborn.

Nah, I know you're not. It just sucks missing people.

[ He smiles a little at the stubborn comment, stroking his thumb fondly over the back of her hand. Because he is stubborn, he waited for her for years. Never giving up, never backing down. Wash has to come around in the face of that. ]

I'm determined, that's for sure. He'll cave. And I'm finding loopholes already.

You've always been good at loopholes. Though... I feel like like if the reds and blues were here they'd be making more progress than us.

[ And then they helped her, too. They were a ragtag bunch of idiots but between them and Epsilon they helped her come back from the dark place she'd been buried in for years. Not really thinking about it, she settles against his side as he keeps his hand on hers. It's soothing. ]

They have a way of getting under your skin.

He's not... I mean, you just have to read between the lines. Sometimes what he says he doesn't want is sort of exactly what he needs.

[ Carolina might not be thinking about the leaning, but York's super aware of it. And kind of wishes he could reclaim his arm to drape it around her, but he doesn't want to let go of her hand. Maybe after breakfast he can talk her into proper cuddles. ]

Do you know what they did for him?

I'm pretty sure all they really did was befriend him. It's... oddly effective.

[ It's hard to explain the effect they have. A ragtag team of idiots who could best Freelancers by virtue of being so weird that no one could ever predict them. They saved her life, gave her a new family to watch out for when she had spent years expecting to never have that again. ]

He took over leading the Blues and it worked for him. Caboose and Tucker managed to wear off a lot of his rough edges. Then I came back and made everything worse.

That's all I'm trying to do...

[ He can't really understand without meeting them, but he's trying. He wants to help Wash. And know these people who saved Carolina. ]

Hey. It worked out, didn't it? You're friends again, I just... hope it won't take that much here. We can't just expect that they show up and do it all over again.

Hopefully it doesn't take him threatening to shoot me again.

[ She doesn't even think about how that might sound. It happened, he had been in the right about the whole thing and it had worked out. And he'd even come to save her ass even though she didn't deserve it. ]

Uh. I hope so too. Obviously.

[ This Wash does seem hostile, but. ]

Do I want to know why he was threatening to shoot you?

In his defense, I would have deserved it. I was still really angry about... everything. I wanted to use the sim troopers as cannon fodder.

[ She looks ashamed of it now. They saved her and she nearly destroyed all of them. ]

Wash chose the right side. I went off on my own and nearly got myself killed. They came after me even after that.

[ York's expression softens, and he finds he's grateful -- so grateful -- to these people he's never met for giving her another chance. Coming to save her. Because it means she's with him now, after they helped her to heal. ]

I really hope I get to meet them someday.

[ Sent as Maine is on his way to a bar with Wash, following some totally inconsequential revelations. ]

Found Wash. He's shitty. [ Understatement. ] Getting drinks.

[ Yes, this is a status update. No, he has not switched out of Mission Mode. And yes, he's going to go drinking fully armed and armored. Pity anyone that starts a bar fight. ]

Edited 2017-08-07 12:43 (UTC)

Understood.

Don't get into too much trouble out there. I'll leave the door unlocked for you, the bed is yours.

[ SEVERAL HOURS LATER. Like holy shit, how long have they been drinking: ]

Wash's.

[ This is a Full Explanation. ]

Freelancer meeting, library. One hour. We've got some things to work out.

I'll be there.

They're gone.

I know.

[ She had tried to reach North and her messages had bounced back. And then she tried the others and- ]

Are you alright?

I'm fine.

That makes one of us.

Someone has to be.

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